Ballycrovane Ogham Stone

At around 5.2 metres tall, the Ballycrovane Ogham Stone is considered the largest Ogham stone in the world. Ogham stones are upright standing stones inscribed in Ogham script, the oldest known writing system in Ireland and the earliest written record of the Irish language. They were erected either as memorials or as boundary markers.

The tricky thing about the Ballycrovane Ogham Stone was that for a long time you could see it perfectly well from a distance but reaching it was another matter. An official sign pointed straight into the driveway of a private house. Since there was never anyone around, I didn’t feel comfortable simply marching across their property uninvited. In B&Bs and pubs, locals explained which fence I should climb and which patch of undergrowth to push through. For a long time I had no luck at all, until late summer 2025 when, to my surprise, I discovered an official path. It still crosses private land, but it is now clearly signposted, so you can set off with a clear conscience.

After all those years of trying to reach the ancient stone, the Irish weather put on quite a show for me. I had chosen an evening visit to make the most of low light, long shadows and strong contrasts, and that plan worked beautifully. Out of nowhere, heavy clouds rolled in from the Atlantic and suddenly wrapped the whole scene in a yellowish, shimmering grey. I just managed to pull the rain cover over my camera bag before the spectacle began. It bucketed down, and above the Ogham stone a perfect rainbow appeared. There was no time left to get any proper waterproofs on myself. I had to move fast, because the clouds, the rain and the rainbow with them disappeared as quickly as they had arrived. So I just kept shooting. Soaking wet but utterly happy, I made my way back. I had finally seen this ancient stone up close, and as for the weather drama that came with it that’s a story I’ll be telling my grandchildren someday – or writing about here on the blog